II and Hero, but releases them unharmed when an ultrasound reveals Beth's child to be female. President Margaret Valentine Former Secretary of Agriculture and current President of the United States. She becomes president after the other ranking woman on the chain of succession, Secretary of the Interior Richburg, dies in a plane crash (at the time the comic was written, the real Secretary of Agriculture was Ann Margaret Veneman, and the real Secretary of the Interior was the highest woman in the Cabinet). She evidently won election in 2004, although she recognizes it is because she is the most famous woman as "no one knows where Oprah is hiding." Mercedes The first lover of Dr. Allison Mann. She ends their relationship as they are about to graduate, saying it was a game. Allison is devastated by this, and later develops a cynical attitude toward love as a result. Natalya Zamyatin She is a Russian secret agent, sent to retrieve the astronauts who survived the plague on the International Space Station. After they are killed, she remains with the Hartle twins to protect the post-plague's first newborn male. She wears the Gold Star of a Hero of the Russian Federation, and carries a sniper rifle named after her husband killed in the plague. Her poor English is often joked about by the other characters but in the future her English improves beyond anyone's expectation. Paloma West A war correspondent before the plague, Paloma now works for the tabloid newspaper Monthly Visitor. She takes a naked picture of Yorick (holding a current paper) to prove the existence of a living male and, despite threats from Agent 355, refuses to hand over the film. P.J. P.J. lived in Queensbrook and gave shelter to Yorick and his friends. She formerly played bass in a California ska band and ran her late father's garage. Later, she was killed by Leah. Sadie Sadie was part of the Israeli forces, serving under Alter Tse'elon. She was Alter's only friend, and accompanied her on their mission to the United States to capture the last man, but turned against Alter when she tried to kill the male astronauts. Sadie is later seen presiding over Alter's court martial, only to be assassinated by the guards who are loyal to Alter. Alter is often seen feeling incredibly guilty about killing her, but that never stopped her from continuing her quest. Setauket